Darrell Winfield

Darrell H. Winfield (July 30, 1929 – January 12, 2015) was an American rancher and model[1] best known as "The Marlboro Man" in television commercials and magazine advertisements for Marlboro cigarettes. Winfield was born in Kansas, Oklahoma. His family relocated to California's San Joaquin Valley when he was 6 years old. This move was inspired by the "Okie migration" that was prominent in the 1930s where many mid-west farmers, devastated by the Dust Bowl, headed west to California to start over.[2] He was the Marlboro man from 1968 until 1989.[2] He is also credited with being the most portrayed man in the world by some.[3] Philip Morris has used many cowboys for their ads but has declared that Winfield was "really the Marlboro man." [4][5]

As an adult, Winfield moved to Wyoming and began ranching. Executives from Leo Burnett Worldwide, an advertising agency, visited the ranch where Winfield was working in June 1968 to take photographs for a new Phillip Morris sales campaign. They liked Winfield's looks and asked him if he would be interested in working for Marlboro.

The first Marlboro advertisement that Winfield appeared in was "The Sheriff".[6]

In a 1986 interview, Winfield stated that he thinks that his "life would have basically been the same" if he had not been given the chance to work for Marlboro. He died in Riverton, Wyoming on January 12, 2015, aged 85.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Ellsworth, Scott (August 27, 1986). "Oral History Interview with Darrel Winfield by Scott Ellsworth". tobaccodocuments.org. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Producing Fashion; Commerce, Culture and consumers. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 2008. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-8122-4037-5.
  3. ↑ Kastor, Elizabeth (August 24, 1988). "The Ad Excavators;Two Smithsonian Historians, Seeking Out the Sales Pitches of Yesteryear". The Washington Post.
  4. ↑ Rucci, M (September 27, 1992). "Marlboro man's legacy". Sunday Herald Sun.
  5. ↑ Marchese, John (September 13, 1992). "A Rough Ride". The New York Times.
  6. ↑ Bergon, Frank, "West of California: A Visit With the Marlboro Man. Audience. Vol 1, No. 5 (September–October 1971): 42–48.
  7. ↑ Darrell Winfield, long-serving Marlboro Man, dies in Wyoming at 85. The Associated Press. January 14, 2015.